Sgt. Tom Blakey

This is just a brief follow-up on Tom Blakey, the WWII Museum volunteer that took pictures with Calli, Paige, Kennedi and Ethan.

"I was only 22 on D0Day, serving with the 82nd Airborne Division. We dropped behind the lines at Utah Beach. Our orders were to take and hold a bridge. We held it, but the cost was high.

"I was one of the lucky ones--I not only made it through that day but through the rest of the war. Once the war ended, I came back, got married, and tried to move on. We had just done our jobs--I didn't talk about it much.

"After my wife died, I got the chance to come here. I began to realize that there are whole generations that don't know about D-Day, who don't understand how close the world came to losing freedom.

"If you've visited The National WWII Museum in the past few years, we may have met. I'm one of the volunteers who greet visitors and meet with groups who enjoy listening to my experiences during the war.

"And that's what the Museum does. They capture and tell those stories. Over and over again. Big stories, like how countries came together to plan D-Day, and little stories, like how a dime-store cricket clicker became a life-saving accessory behind enemy lines.

"I'm incredibly grateful that there are so many people like you to hep the Museum continue to capture and tell these stories. In the dark of those early morning D-Day hours, those cricket clickers brought us back together when we needed each other most.

"...Time is short; I'm 92 years old--I know that. I know, too, how important it is that the Museum continues to tell these stories."

Sgt. Tom Blakey
82nd Airborne Division

President and Sister Hansen

President and Sister Hansen arrived last night after what must have been a whirlwind week. And things are just going to get busier. They start tomorrow morning at 9 am in New Orleans and have back to back ZC's, then 2 more on Tuesday, and 1 each on Wednesday and Thursday with lots of driving time. Next week is transfers, and interviews will last for 4 weeks after that. Their belongings won't even arrive until Thursday! Well, at least they don't have to worry about unpacking today.

We don't know too much about them, but they're personable and pleasant to be with. I'm sure their heads are swimming with information right now. I can't even imagine how they're feeling tonight. By the time we'd seen them this afternoon Sister Hansen had already been out visiting with Sister Baird and Sister Steele, and President Hansen was leaving at 7 with 2 of the elders.

President Hansen served a mission to French Polynesia in the 70's, and Sister Hansen has worked in all the organizations but mostly Young Women. Looks like we need some time getting to know them. Most likely we'll continue with the Monday post-meeting lunches.

Another First

With the pending arrival of the Hansen's, there just hasn't been enough time in the day to get everything completed that needs to be done before they come. So after racing through the home chores we went to the office and put in a full day. Yup! Eight hours for me and 4 for Elder L. It was so nice not to have phones ringing and other distractions. Please note--MISSIONARIES ARE NOT DISTRACTIONS!  But the only ones in and out today were the Office Elders and Assistants. Wonderful young men. How sad it will be when their assignments take them to other areas.

So here's the day's activities. It was another checklist kind of day.
Completed tasks:
3 loads of laundry
Fold other laundry from the past week--bedding, towels from last week's Nemeth fun & 3 days worth of dish cloths and towels from lunches at the training meeting
Change 2 beds
Clean bathroom--only 1. Marc has to clean his own!
Clean kitchen & remove biology specimens from fridge
Mop floors
Shop for commissary at Sam's Club and Walmart
Shop for groceries--ditto
Prepare 19 incoming medical files for Sister Hansen
     Print 9-11 pages for each missionary's medical and dental records
     Make labels for file (name, missionary #, medical ID, birth date, MTC & release dates
     Print 2-4X6 cards with the same info for Sister Hansen's and my files
     Clip card to front of file
Print 19 incoming summaries for President Hansen. Fortunately only 1 hadn't already been typed
Organize itineraries for 19 in's on July 8, 1 returning elder (medical leave) on July 9 & 10 go-homes on July 10
Organize commissary for all ZCs next week so they're ready for the elders to deliver
Divide up Ensigns, Liahonas and mail to be taken to ZC's
Order from Staples. Do you know how on top of things the Church is? Pres Hansen's name is already in the Staples system!
Order from distribution. Wouldn't you know that half of the things we need are back ordered?

Incomplete tasks:
Change Pres W's name to Pres Hansen's on about 25 documents. (I don't know Pres H's middle initial)
Senior couple profiles
Update Stake President and Bishop information--still playing hide & seek with that one
Figure out who's telling the missionaries to bring 2 flat sheets instead of 1 flat and 1 deep-pocket fitted
NAP!

Overall, I'm completely satisfied with today's productivity!

"I have work enough to do ere the sun goes down"

Pres Wall came into the office this morning, and the first thing he said is, "Does anyone know how to prevent a released mission president from returning home?" None of knew the answer, but he didn't stop there. He asked each of the 4 of us present, "Do you? Do you? etc." until we'd all said "No."  Then he smiled, laughed and walked to his office. Perfect! I think he's ready for his life's next chapter.

We're in super change mode as the Wall's final hours tick quickly away. They're already living in a hotel while the mission home is thoroughly cleaned with some minor renovating taking place. There are so many little things to do in addition to the mountain of other things that piled up this week as I spent 3 delightful days being inspired and motivated. Many little tasks are just that--little tasks, but some require figuring out where to go to do them.  For example, all the fax cover sheets need to be changed from the Wall's name to the Hansen's. So where are the faxes kept. That wasn't too tough--just a word document. Also, the lists of Stake Presidents and Bishops needs to be updated. Now it's like playing hide & seek. Someone hid the excel program, and I have yet to find it. Come out, come out, where ever you are! This may require me to call Sister Olsen for the first time in the 4 months she's been gone. But first I have to go into CDOL--which is maybe a directory for the entire world--and check each ward and stake directory. That's going to take some time.

Another task is making up something for President Hansen to have when he starts Zone Conferences on Monday--yes, June 30 (6 ZC's in 4 days without having time to unpack!)--so he can put names with faces and make some notes. It'll be a few pages for each zone with the missionary's pictures, names and a few other details. Then there's new labels for files, ordering new address labels for the Mission Home, profiles on all the senior couples, some temporary changes on all the IMOS letters, until Pres Hansen has time to personalize them. But they all require changing to his name, so I guess that means changes on ALL the IMOS letters.

Then there are the day to day challenges that just take a bit of time, like getting info to one of our visa waiters. Unfortunately his original information for the FBI clearance has expired, and he has to resend it all. That's crummy, because it's time consuming and expensive, and it's certainly not Elder J's fault. I had to call SLC to correct a misspelled name that I entered for a Baptism and Confirmation record (B&C for short). I called the wrong department then had to wait forever to get the correct one only to find that they don't get the information immediately, so I get to call back on Monday. Then there was the email from SLC about the yearly B&C report that's due when? During transfer week, of course! I'm seriously considering moving a bed in and making the office home for a few weeks. In the meantime, we received 6 of our 19 bikes in 2 days. Things are getting a bit chummy and are about to get chummier.

For several months Elder L has been saying, "Quit doing commissary at transfers. There's too much going on, and things are getting lost or forgotten." I think I ignored him because that's the way Sister O taught me and I wasn't sure I should make changes. Well, I'm feeling a lot more confident now and realize that it's okay to try to make things more efficient. So, after talking to Sister Wall, we made the decision to NOT have commissary at transfers. There's already total chaos when it comes time for everyone to get their bikes and baggage from point A to point B. And that's not just the new incoming missionaries. It could involve 20 or 30 or 40 other changes, double that number and you have a chapel full of moving missionaries. We decided to have it once a month at MLC. That's the first Wednesday of every month when Zone Leaders (ZL's) attend leadership training. Then they present all they learned in MLC at ZTM (Zone Training Meeting) in their zones 2 days later. Excellent! Put the stuff in the trunks of their cars and leave it there till Friday. Finally, an organized way to get commissary, letters, boxes, Ensigns & Liahonas to all the missionaries. All the ZL's seemed to be very in favor of the new plan. Hooray! I hope it's as effective as we're expecting it to be.

"The Last Amen"

On our way home from ZST, Sister Wall said that she knew that when Sister Haskell gave the closing prayer and said "Amen" that it would be the last "Amen" that the Walls would have with their beloved missionaries. Just prior to the end of the meeting she said that having a new President would be a great experience and will give them the opportunity to see how the Priesthood Keys and Mantle of Authority will transition smoothly. She encouraged everyone to welcome President and Sister Hansen and to expect change, because that's the way it should be. Don't think "that's not the way we've been doing it." Change is good and will move the work forward in the Lord's way. 

One of the traditions here (I'm not sure where here is but maybe Denham Springs Zone) is for the missionaries to sing to the ones who prepared their meal. So today they sang to Sister Wall and me--"As I have Loved You."  My tongue was pressed hard to the roof of my mouth in an effort to keep from shedding too many tears. It worked pretty well for both Sister Wall and me.

I'm so grateful to have spent these past three days learning, visiting, watching and experiencing what these very promising young missionaries have to offer. They're the future leaders and teachers and are establishing a firm foundation in their youth. Love 'em to pieces!

Phinal Photos and Phun at ZST

Some of our Great LABRM missionaries were gathered together taking their final pics with President and Sister Wall. They were also having a good time clowning around and enjoying each other's company. Elder Jean-Louis is the elder wearing the placard.

Today was pretty much like yesterday, but I'm not quite as drop-down-dead tired, so maybe I can make some sense of this post. The theme for these training meetings has been "Remember, Oh Remember." Each meeting began with a clip from Disney's "Jungle Book." President Wall says that the four vultures are he, Sister Wall and the Assistants having a conversation trying to decide what to do for the training. "What we wanna do? I dunno. What cha wanna do? Let's do something. Okay, what cha wanna do?" Pres Wall said that's how they felt trying to decide what they wanted to do for this training. And that's when they decided on the theme.

There's no way I can capture all the words or the spirit of the meeting, so I'll just give some of the thoughts that I could record in between helping prepare snacks and lunch and cleaning up.

Pres Wall held up a $100 bill and asked if anyone wanted it. Of course, everyone raised their hands. So he crumpled it up and asked again. All hands up. Put it on the floor and stepped and schmooshed it. Same response. Spit on both sides (sort of). All still would have taken it. Then he asked why they'd still want it. The obvious response was because it was still worth $100. Then Pres W compared it to use, saying that each of their souls is of great worth to Heavenly Father. They aren't worth any less, no matter what happens to them. The most important relationship we can have is with Heavenly Father, whatever our circumstances are. Everything He does is to "bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man."

We watched the Derek Redmond story--not one that I was familiar with but hope to never forget. It played to the background music "You Raise Me Up." This is the story as presented on you-tube. Get your Kleenex.

A young man was favored to win the 400-meter in the 1992 Barcelona Summer Olympics. However, disappointment came about 250 meters from the finish. His hamstring tore, he hobbled into a halt, and then fell to the ground...in pain. As stretcher bearers made their way over to him, he knew he had to decide. So despite the pain he stood up and began to hobble along the track. Suddenly, a large man pushed through the crowds, fighting back security. The man was his father. "You don't have to do this," he told his weeping son. "Yes, I do," the son declared. "Well then," replied his dad. "We're going to finish this...together!" The father wrapped his arms around his son and helped him hobble through the track. Shortly before the finish line the father let go of the son and the son completed the race...with a standing ovation from the crowd of 65,000. Derek Redmond may not have finished first place...but he managed to finish his race. Despite the pain...Despite the tears..He determined to give his all.
Motivated by a love so strong...of a father who picks him up when he falls. What made the father do that? ...to leave the stands and meet his son on the tracks? It was the pain on his child's face. His son was hurt...but he wanted to finish the race. So the father came to help him finish. God is like that. When we are hurting and fighting to finish, He comes to help us. How about you? How is your race? Are you in pain? Are you on the verge of quitting? God wants you to finish strong...because He loves you. Will you open your heart to Him?

There are probably far more people who will remember Derek Redmond that whoever it was that ran the race. If you do nothing else today, please watch the 5 minute video. Guaranteed you'll love it!

The "Johnny Appleseed" video was another teaching tool today. After we watched, Pres opened it up to discussion and ask for comparisons between Johnny A and missionary work. There are plenty! Every missionary can receive personal revelation to serve a mission. At first he's discouraged (Satan's greatest tool) but then receives divine help. He plants seeds but doesn't harvest them. The results of the later crops brought everyone together to celebrate. There are several more. Another excellent analogy!

The reason Pres W shared this story is because of a missionary named David Beck. He served in the LABRM about 35-40 years ago but never had the opportunity to baptize anyone. Twenty years later his brother also served here. Long story short. A young woman, Sarah (age14) had prayed and felt something. She didn't know what. Then a friend gave her an Osmond record and she had the same feeling. After these 2 events she met the brother and companion. She'd previously seen him in a dream. She listened to and believed the message, but her parents wouldn't let her be baptized. A few years later (at the age of 19) she married and had a baby. She, again, wanted to be baptized, but her husband, Mike, wouldn't agree to it and that he'd leave her if she did. Finally she told Mike that she'd leave him if he wouldn't allow her baptism. He agreed then was baptized 8 years later. He was a great member of the Church and became Pres. Wall's counselor in the mission but died from a heart condition in February 2013. There's so much more to the story, but that's all for now.


The joke for the day. Elder Miles came to the building where we were meeting to bring a non-member to meet with Pres W prior to Manny's baptism. Manny asked why Mormons never have ice in their drinks. Sister Wall usually brings it but not today. Elder M told Manny that we don't use ice on Wednesdays. Then proceeded to tell Manny that we also don't use forks on Thursday. Maybe this is a "you had to be there" situation, but we all had a great laugh.

Specialized Training in NO North Zone

President and Sister Wall have been doing their last Zone Specialized Training Meetings. Last week they were in Lafayette, Alexandria and Baton Rouge. This week is New Orleans North and South and Denham Springs. Marc and I are attending the meetings today, tomorrow and Thursday and what a wonderful experience it is to listen to President Wall's counsel and hear these very amazing missionaries share their thoughts and testimonies. They have such powerful spirits and great depth in their knowledge of the gospel--far beyond their young years.

I may get around to deciphering notes and including them in this post--and I may not. We left at
7 and got home at 8:30 and my brain is moosh. I feel like this piece of cake looks! I asked Marc to put some blueberries on each piece, and this is the result. The other pictures are a few of the elders taking their last picture with the Walls.




Elder McCutcheon with the Walls. He's a Zone Leader in NO No with Elder Helie.

Back to the Swamp

We took the Nemeths on a swamp tour today in the Atchafalaya Basin. We'd asked for a different guide just to get a different perspective. Success!

When captain Tucker came to meet us he was as happy as a person can be. He introduced himself then proceeded to tell us that recently he'd been diagnosed with cancer and was given a few months to live. This morning he was informed that whatever echo machine they'd used wasn't working properly and he'd been misdiagnosed! A real life "Last Holiday"--Queen Latifah story! A new lease on life. I'll bet he appreciates each new day from now on as a gift and blessing. 

So on to the tour. It was about 20 degrees hotter & 3 pm when we started the tour. We were all so grateful when we saw a cover over the top of his swamp boat! Tucker headed for the nesting areas and knew exactly where to find the gators. I think Ethan had been living for this moment. 

This was completely different from our first tour. It seemed like Tucker was just waiting for his not so little alligator friends to swim on over and welcome us to their neck of the woods. After some sweet talking, along came Suzette. She's about 9 years old and had her first litter last year. Suzette like to eat marshmallows! 

Next came Bella. Apparently she was mad because she was only getting marshmallows. Must've wanted meat. She bit Capt T last week so she's not exactly in his good graces. When he put the oar in the water she chomped on it and left some serious teeth marks. 

After leaving that area we were cruising down an area that looked very much like the Meadows on the California Delta when Heidi spotted Max heading our way Pretty impressive. She just saw his eyes heading our way so we stopped and waited and he came right up to the boat. Max was quite a bit larger than Suzette's & Bella and is probably about 30-40 years old. 

We also saw the same osprey as we did 2 weeks ago. Last time we went by there were 3 babies in the next which could be heard but not seen. This time we saw 2 of the babies in a nearby tree but mama osprey has been trying unsuccessfully to get baby #3 out on his own without much luck. He kind of reminds me of Baby Huey. Can you tell which is mom and which is baby? Yes, of course you can, because mom is larger, but not by much. And Baby Huey is back a bit. Oh, and the nest weighs around 300 pounds--more or less!

I personally think this pic is a great shot as we cruised under the I-10 interstate. If we took it the other direction we'd get to Danielle's eventually.  

Another trip to Avery Island gave us even more detailed information about the island and workings of the Tabasco plant. The Nemeth's thoroughly enjoyed sampling all of the products, including raspberry Tabasco ice cream, Tabasco chili and a variety of other spicy sauces. Kennedi particularly liked the chili. Every time I saw her she had another sample. I didn't realize she was such a "Spice Girl!"

Rosedown Plantation

Each plantation we visit has it's own unique qualities, but they're all beautiful. Today we went to Rosedown Plantation in St. Francisville. I'm thinking early spring would be a better time to come because the azaleas are blooming. They're gone now, the hydrangeas are almost gone, and the roses are working on blooming. The plantation, however, was not named for the roses but for a play that Daniel and Martha Turnbull--the couple who built it--saw on their honeymoon.

Originally Rosedown comprised 3,455 acres, mostly planted in cotton. Construction was completed in 1835 at a whopping cost of $13,109.20. It sits at the head of a 660 foot long oak allee (a tree-lined avenue, often one that is part of a landscaped garden). The home was furnished with imported goods from Philadelphia, New Orleans, and Europe. Most of the furnishings remained with the house during the years after the Civil War and a large percentage of original pieces are still on display, making the home more of a museum.

The formal gardens were Martha's pride throughout her life. Because of a detailed garden diary kept during her 60 years at Rosedown, the gardens today are exactly the same as when she tended them in the 1800's. Her notes included a layout of the trees, plants and flowers, what varieties they were and where she purchased them. The gardens eventually extended to cover approximately 28 acres and were one of the few privately maintained formal gardens in the United States.

I couldn't resist a picture of the very little sewing machine. I didn't have time to inspect it but didn't see a treadle, and I know it's not electric. Thank goodness for Bernina! The stitchery is believed to have been made by Martha Washington. Yes, George's wife. Her grand or great granddaughter married one of the Turnbull grandsons and it was given to them as a wedding gift.

After the roadtrip to St. Francisville we made a brief stop at the Bass Pro Shop--just long enough to see the alligator gar fish, snapping turtle, raccoon and Heidi's new look. It's her new duck hunting camo ensemble!

The Nemeths in New Orleans

I never get tired of the WWII Museum. Today was no different. These pictures aren't much different from any others, except for the faces.  So today we have Heidi the Riveter and Army Ethan. Notice how well his camo T-shirt fits in with his new duds. In the Veteran category is the same sweet Thomas Blakey, from when Calli and Paige were here, who fought on the European Front, and the other is Forrest Villerrup, who fought in the Pacific Theater.

We also returned to the Metairie Cemetary. This time we knew where the "Weeping Angel" was hiding out.

A tram ride through NOLA

Mufalettas at the Central Market were a big hit with everyone. Yum!

The Lonely Office

President Wall came in yesterday and removed all of his personal things from the office so they could get packed and loaded into the moving van. This is just a sad Wallless wall! It seems significant that the only picture left, which didn't belong to the President, is of Moroni, who must've been the lonliest man on the earth at that time in his life.

Is the Moon Full?

I've decided that the moon must be full with all the weird things happening today. What the heck's going on?

The Nemeth's got bumped from their flight out of Tucson to Dallas so got on one almost 4 hours later. Then they couldn't all get on the Dallas to Baton Rouge flight so Kennedi & Ethan came in at 6 pm and we Heidi up at 9:35. At least now they're finally all here safely. Let the fun begin.

I received a call from a man wanting assistance from the church for his family to fly back to California. They came out here about a week ago because his daughter had been in a serious auto accident in the area 5 years ago. Her condition recently took a turn for the worse and she passed away yesterday. After getting off the phone and talking to Elder L, I discovered they weren't members and they shouldn't be referred to the Bishop who helps transient members. (The reason Elder L knew he wasn't a member is because a member called and asked that the missionaries give this young woman a blessing, which they did.) I called him back and tried my best to explain that that wasn't something we could help with. About 3 hours later someone else calls saying that she'd talked to President Wall and he told her to call me to get the Bishop's phone number. How did she get Pres W's number and not a Bishop whose number is on lds.org? I NEVER GIVE OUT PRESIDENT WALL'S PHONE NUMBER. PERIOD!!!! I looked up the Bishop for where they're staying and gave them the number from the website. She called 15 minutes later, said it was disconnected and wanted a different one. I found another one--but won't say where from--and gave it to her. She said she'd call back if it didn't work. I didn't hear anything.

Received an email from a dad of a sister in the mission. His daughter wants them to go to President & Sister Wall's homecoming. Could I please tell them when, where & what time? Oh my goodness, no! I don't even know where they live other than somewhere in SLC. I gave him the Olsen's name and said they'd be going. (An update on this one: Dad contacted the Olsen's who already had all the pertinent information. He shared that with me so I'm ready for the next similar email or call.)

Another phone call was from a woman who wanted to talk to the Walls about a sister who's actually a service missionary. I was just trying to ascertain what to tell Pres Wall and why he should call her when she said, "I guess I'll just have to call Salt Lake back." What? I'm not sure what even happened here. I wasn't rude. Marc will verify that. But right now I'm pretty confused.

Then there was the call from a distraught mom, in tears, because she'd just received a call from a hospital in our mission. They told her that her child was in their ER. (Probably needed insurance info.) Mom wanted to know if we knew anything about why her missionary was there. I hadn't heard anything so I called Sister Wall--no answer. Called mission home number--no answer. Called President Wall--answer! But he hadn't heard anything. I just like to say that I wasn't being ignored. The moving van was at the mission home packing all the Wall's things to move them back home. Anyway, it turns out that the missionary had been experiencing recurring headaches and had talked to the mission nurse more than once. She thought missionary should now go to the doctor. Instead of going to the doctor missionary went to the ER! Maybe I'll reserve further comments on this one.

Another call came from SLC letting us know that one of our missionaries who was in an accident a few months ago is being sued. I passed that one off to Elder L as fast as I could. We'll be served any day now.

And to top it all off, Elder L goes to the airport in his newest cap! Doesn't bother me, because I've already stated that I've become an LSU fan, but it'll bother a few other unnamed people. I love it!

Six Superior Sisters!

Just when you think that a mission couldn't get much better you have 6 spectacular sisters over for dinner and discover even more about how wonderful this chosen generation is. They were SO much fun! And they had such a fun time together. They are all serving in the Baton Rouge Stake boundaries but not in the district where we live, so we don't get to invite them to dinner. But today was Stake Conference and they were all in town for our meetings, so they came over before heading home.

Can you guess where Sister Stennet is from? Yup! Hawaii--Kauai specifically. She lives in Lihue which is where the airport and dock for cruise ships just happens to be. Well now, that's convenient! She attended college somewhere in Hawaii before her mission and said she thought she wanted to go to BYU and get away from home when she's released (I think in the August exodus.) But now that she's served a mission and been away from home she's considering BYU Hawaii. She's ready to be back in Hawaii. And what a violinist she is. I'm trying to figure out how to get a short video of her playing her violine onto this blog but I can't seem to get from point A to point B.

Sister Hill and Sister Steele are our birthday girls. Sister H's bday is tomorrow and Sister S's was yesterday. We had candles on the cake but never found matches. Elder L tried to light a skewer on fire from the electric stove but it just resulted in a charred skewer.
Sister Baird (in the short sleeve white blouse) and Sister Steele (the birthday girl in blue) are companions in Prairieville. They're both from Arizona. Prior to Sister Steele's transfer 3 weeks ago, she'd been in Vidalia, which is near Natchez MS, for 9 months. She's from Utah and was a music therapy student before her mission. Now she's not sure if that's the path she wants to pursue, but she has several more months before she needs to worry about it. Also, she's extremely allergic to bananas to the point where she carries an epipen. It took her years to convince her mom that she really was allergic!

Sister Baird, as I've mentioned before, was a student at SUU but would like to go to BYU at some point in time. For now she'll continue being a great missionary and not worry about too far into the future. She doesn't go home until August 2016.

Sister Weidmann, our Temple Square sister from Switzerland, loves it here. She'd be completely happy to finish her mission here. As much as we'd love that it sadly won't happen. Her parents will be entering the MTC with President and Sister Hansen in about a week. Her dad will be the Mission President in Albania. She's trying to figure out how to visit them when she gets home, but before she's released as a missionary, because she wants to see them as a missionary. One of her questions today was, "Can your Stake President release you on Skype?" She and Sister Hill gave us an account of the little tornado that I mentioned previously. They were hilarious! Sister W was so excited and wanted to video it, and Sister Hill just wanted to get them somewhere safe--just in case.

Sister Lindstrom told about a time that her family was somewhere bridge jumping. I didn't know what that was, but I guess you just jump off the bridge into the water below.  Mom and Dad weren't sure it was safe so they told her to jump and see if it was safe for her younger sister, Brita. Well, the water was too shallow where she landed, and she felt her foot turn where it shouldn't have turned. So off to the ER they went. One of the doctor's first questions was, "Didn't your parents ever tell you not to jump off bridges?" Oops!

She also shared a thought provoking quote from Rene Daumal then tied it into scripture which led to a spiritual discussion with these sweet sisters that reinforced why they're "Saturday's Warriors." Here's the quote:

"You cannot stay on the summit forever; you have to come down again. So why bother in the first place? Just this: What is above knows what is below, but what is below does not know what is above. One climbs, one sees. One descends, one sees no longer, but one has seen. There is an art of conducting oneself in the lower regions by the memory of what one saw higher up. When one can no longer see, one can at least still know."